Genesee Towers

What was once the tallest building in Flint is now just a pile of rubble. This morning, 1,000 lbs. of explosives brought the building down. Demolition crews spent weeks preparing the building to be imploded.

The 19-story Genesee Towers building has stood in the heart of Flint’s downtown for the past 45 years. But a series of explosions brought the building down in a matter of seconds.

When the dust settled, all that was left was a pile of rubble.

The long-empty Genesee Towers has been emblematic of Flint’s economic woes.

“Essentially it’s both a physical barrier and a psychological barrier,” says Dave Lurvey, the demolition project manager. “I think that building being down on the ground is going to help people focus on progress rather than blight.”

The tall pile of rubble will remain on the site through the holidays.

The cleanup probably won’t be complete until the spring.

Developers plan to turn the site of the former office building into a downtown park.

Experts have spent weeks preparing the 45 year old building for Sunday morning’s implosion.

The 19 story Genesee Towers has been an empty eyesore in downtown Flint for years. The city acquired the building in 2010 and sold it to the Uptown Reinvestment Corp., the city’s downtown development agency, in 2012.

Officials announced today, the 19-story Genesee Towers building will be imploded on December 22nd at 10am.

Built in 1968, the building suffered decades of neglect. The office tower has sat mostly empty for more than a decade. The city eventually condemned the building. A judge ordered the city of Flint to purchase the 45-year-old building in 2007.

The city sold the Genesee Towers for a dollar earlier this year, clearing the way for the building’s demolition next month.

FLINT, Mich. (AP) - Construction crews have started to put up plywood to protect nearby buildings in anticipation of the mid-December demolition of Flint's tallest building.

Uptown Reinvestment bought downtown Flint's 19-story Genesee Towers from the city for $1.

MLive.com says plywood protection is going up at the nearby C.S. Mott Building, and Flint officials say two nearby streets have been closed and fenced off in the past week and will stay closed into the spring.

WEYI-TV reports that the new owners plan to transform the site into Exploration Park.